Gen Ys Most Likely to Be Fired for Facebook Comments

Receive the latest press-here updates in your inbox

Many Gen Ys on Facebook are servers, considered job-hoppers, friend an average of 16 coworkers and more likely be fired for comments on Facebook, a new study said today.

Millennial Branding authored the study after looking at 50 million Facebook profiles of Generation Y users (aged 18 to 29) and found that most are using Facebook for personal rather than professional reasons, yet still friend an average of 16 coworkers.

“Gen-Y needs to be aware that what they publish online can come back to haunt them in the workplace. Gen-Y managers and co-workers have insight into their social lives, which could create an awkward workplace setting or even result in a termination," said Dan Schawbel, founder of Millennial Branding.

The study also found that the largest overall employer was the U.S military, with companies like Walmart and Starbucks ranking high. With a job as a cashier at Walmart or a barista at Starbucks -- and the top job title is "server" -- it's not surprising that Gen Ys spend just over 2 years at their first job. From the study:

The travel and hospitality industry hires the most Gen-Y candidates now because young people are having trouble getting internships and jobs so they turn to bartending and waitressing jobs.

About 1.2 percent of the study also consider themselves owners of a business as their primary job.

Despite 42 percent of surveyed college students worrying about Facebook hurting their job prospects, most Gen Ys friend numerous coworkers and view the social network as more about friends than networking. That's kind of the trouble -- because they are less guarded about their words, it can come back to haunt them (like this teacher's offhand comment about her students that almost got her fired -- sent to her boss courtesy of a coworker.)